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- Title:
- Coconut Saviour
- Description:
- As Pigafetta and his companions wound up their time in the islands of Southeast Asia, they loaded up on fresh coconuts. After receiving two at Homonhon Island in March he wrote about how a coconut tree provided bread, wine, oil and milk. The size of a human head, a nut has a green husk thicker than two fingers. Certain filaments in the husk make a cord with which to bind native boats. Under the husk is a hard shell thicker than a walnut's that is burned and made into a useful powder. [Medicinal] Under that shell is a white marrowy substance one finger in thickness eaten fresh with meat and fish as if it were bread. It tasted like almond to him; he explained it could be dried and eaten, too. In the middle of the marrowy substance is a clear, sweet, refreshing water. When that water stands for a while after having been collected, it congeals and becomes like an apple. He described making a butter-like oil by boiling coconut marrow and water that had putrefied (fermented). When they wish to make vinegar, they let pure coconut water ferment under the sun. He learned to make coconut milk by scraping the marrow, mixing it with its own water, then straining it through cloth. He was told one tree could live to be a hundred years old. A family of ten persons could live off two trees. Indeed he found Asia's tree of life.
- Subjects:
- Antonio Pigafetta coconut Homonhon Island
- Exhibition:
- Magellan Menu
- Type:
- Image;Still Image
- Format:
- image/png
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- "Coconut Saviour", Philippine Food History, Felice P. Sta. Maria
- Reference Link:
- felicepstamaria.net/items/coll034.html